ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Special Service and Features
BUREAU OF INDIAN STANDARDS TO ORGANISE VARIOUS EVENTS ON THE EVE OF RASHTRIYA EKTA DIWAS IN CHENNAI ON 31 OCT 2022
Bureau of Indian Standards, the National Standards Body of India is a statutory body functioning under the aegis of Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Government of India. It operates various schemes like Product Certification , Management Systems Certification, Hall Marking of Gold and Silver Jewellery/Artefacts and Laboratory Services for the benefit of the industry and in turn aiming at consumer protection.
National Unity Day  is celebrated in India on 31 October. It was introduced by the Government of India in 2014. The day is celebrated to mark the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel who had a major role in the political integration of India . Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was India’s first Deputy Prime Minister and is popularly known as the ‘Iron Man of India’.
To celebrate the eve of National Unity Day, Bureau of Indian Standards, Southern Regional Office, Chennai is organizing various events on the eve of Rashtriya Ekta Diwas on 31.10.2022. The events shall start with floral tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel followed by Pledge Taking Ceremony.
A “Run for Unity “ – Mini Marathon/Walkathon is planned from BIS Office for the employees of BIS.
Essay/Slogan writing Competitions are also planned for the BIS Employees.
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Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
Union Environment Minister holds bilateral meeting with China on Day7 of COP14
Prelude to the inauguration of the High-level segment meeting of the 14th Conference of Parties  to United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification  tomorrow i.e. 9 September 2019 by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi at India Expo Centre & Mart, Greater Noida; the Union Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change , Shri Prakash Javadekar today held a bilateral meeting with China.
With focus on strengthening south cooperation in addressing desertification and land degradation for better livelihood, the Environment Minister said “We want to tackle the problems scientifically and therefore we are using ultra-modern technologies with the cooperation of others because ultimately desertification has to be a people’s movement. India is also making positive progress in its actions of climate change”. Shri Javadekar also stated the various efforts made by the Government to improve efforts towards afforestation, by highlighting the recent distribution of CAMPA funds to various states.
During the meeting, both countries discussed in length and explored opportunities for bilateral cooperation in the area of combating desertification within the framework of UNCCD.
Mr. Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary UNCCD; Mr. L I Bijian, Minister of Chinese Embassy in India; Mr. Ohn Win Union Minister, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation of Myanmar and Mr. Zhang Jianlong National Forestry and Grassland Administration, China, were amongst other dignitaries present during the discussion.
India is the host country of UNCCD COP14 beginning from 2nd to 13th September 2019. The Environment Minister earlier stated on the Opening Day that good outcomes are expected of the UNCCD which will be notified in the Delhi Declaration.
About UNCCD:
The UNCCD is an international agreement on good land stewardship. It helps people, communities and countries to create wealth, grow economies and secure enough food and water and energy, by ensuring land users have an enabling environment for sustainable land management. Through partnerships, the Convention’s 197 Parties set up robust systems to manage drought promptly and effectively. Good land stewardship based on a sound policy and science helps integrate and accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, builds resilience to climate change and prevents biodiversity loss.
The Convention entered into force in December 1996. It is one of the three Rio Conventions along with United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change  and Convention on Biological Diversity . India became a signatory to UNCCD on 14th October 1994 and ratified it on 17th December 1996.
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Election Commission
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8 Parliamentary Constituencies in Bihar to go to Polls in Phase VI of General Elections 2019
127 candidates including 16 female candidates in fray
13,793 Polling stations in place for smooth conduct of Polls
In Phase VI of General Elections, 8 Parliamentary Constituencies  namely Valmikinagar, Paschim Champaran, Purvi Champaran, Sheohar, Vaishali, Gopalganj, Siwan and Maharajganj in Bihar will go to Polls on 12th May. 127 candidates including 16 female candidates are in fray for these 8 Lok Sabha seats. Valmikinagar, Paschim Champaran, Purvi Champaran, Sheohar, Vaishali, Siwan and Maharajganj PCs are General Seats whereas Gopalganj PC is reserved for SC.
As per the data issued by CEO Bihar, there are total 1,38,02,576 General voters in these 8 PCs, out of which 73,05,983 are males, 64,96,117 females and 476 third gender voters. 13,793 Polling stations have been set up in this phase of elections in Bihar.
Interesting fact of Phase VI Elections in Bihar is that Gopalganj is the largest PC in terms of area and number of voters both, whereas Paschim Champaran PC is the smallest in terms of number of voters. Maximum Number of Candidates i.e. 22 each are contesting from Purvi Champaran and Vaishali PCs. Out of total 16 female candidates in fray, 8 are contesting from Vaishali PC, 4 are contesting from Siwan PC and 1 each from Valmikinagar, Purvi Champaran, Sheohar and Maharajganj PCs.
Parliamentary Constituency-wise details of Voters, Number of Candidates, Polling Stations pertaining to Bihar are given below:
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Constituencies
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Electorate
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No. of Polling Booths
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No. of Contesting Candidates
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Male
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Female
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Third Gender
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Total
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1) Valmikinagar
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8,93,428
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7,70,524
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96
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16,64,048
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1701
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13
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2) Paschim Champaran
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8,76,758
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7,54,309
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63
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16,31,130
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1647
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09
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3) Purvi Champaran
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8,81,809
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7,74,609
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26
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16,56,444
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1611
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22
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4) Sheohar
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8,95,320
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7,89,406
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68
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16,84,794
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1670
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18
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5) Vaishali
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9,30,061
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8,03,397
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48
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17,33,506
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1803
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22
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6) Gopalganj 
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9,38,734
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8,98,550
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73
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18,37,357
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1906
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13
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7) Siwan
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9,38,984
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8,55,346
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53
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17,94,383
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1787
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19
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8) Maharajganj
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9,50,889
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8,49,976
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49
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18,00,914
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1848
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11
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Total
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73,05,983
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64,96,117
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476
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1,38,02,576
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13,793
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127
Details of Parties contesting in Bihar Phase VI General Elections:
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Party-wise List of Candidates:
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Name of Political Party
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Number of Candidates
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- Recognized National and State Political Parties
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Party Name
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Male
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Female
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Total
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1
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AITC
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0
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0
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0
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2
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BSP
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7
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0
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7
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3
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BJP
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3
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1
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4
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4
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CPI
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1
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0
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1
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5
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CPI
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0
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0
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0
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6
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INC
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1
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0
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1
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7
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NCP
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1
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0
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1
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8
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RJD
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4
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1
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5
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9
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JD 
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2
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1
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3
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10
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LJP
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0
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|
1
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1
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11
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RLSP
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2
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0
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2
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- Registered Political Parties 
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45
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6
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51
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- Independents
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45
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6
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51
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Total
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111
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16
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127
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
Senior Income Tax Officer Becomes First Mountaineer from India to Climb Mt Nuptse
Kolkata, May 14, 2022
Deputy Commissioner of Income Tax, West Bengal Shri Debasish Biswas turned to be the first Indian and also the first person of West Bengal to climb Mt Nuptse , a mountain in the Khumbu region of the Mahalangur Himal, in the Nepalese Himalayas- a peak which lies 2 kms WSW of Mt. Everest. He reached the peak of Mt Nuptse on May 10, 2022 at around 11 am.
Shri Biswas started his summit accompanied by two sherpas on May 10, 2022. The route was technically very difficult with steep walls, Shri Biswas told over telephone. He spent an hour and half on the top and climbed down to reach the Everest Base Camp on May 12, 2022.
Ace mountaineer Shri Biswas suffered deep injury in his hands due to other people’s crampons and despite that he climbed Mt. Nuptse. He also sighted how an avalanche totally demolished a camp .
Earlier Shri Biswas climbed a few 8000m peaks also.
It is to be mentioned that Mt Nuptse was first climbed by a foreigner Mr Dennis Davis with Sherpa Tashi on May 16, 1961. The following day Mr Chris Bonington, Les Brown, James Swallow and Pemba Sherpa, the members of a British expedition led by Mr Joe Walmsley climbed Mt Nuptse.
Election Commission
General Election to Legislative Assemblies of Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, 2022
Election Commission of India today announced the schedule for General Election to Legislative Assemblies of Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, 2022
Ministry of Communications
Letter Writing Competition by Department of Post
Goa, 27 July 2023
The Department of Post is holding the National Level ‘Dhai Akhar’ Letter Writing Campaign for the financial year 2023-24 on the theme “Digital India for New India”. ‘Dhai Akhar’ is a National Level Letter Writing Competition on a theme/ subject decided by the Department of Posts. Participants will write a Letter expressing their views on the subject addressing to the Director, Mumbai GPO, Mumbai 400001. Eligible participants for Cash awards will be shortlisted first at Circle level and then Directorate level. The campaign will be started from 01.08.2023 to 31.10.2023.
The theme of the ‘Dhai Akhar’ Letter Writing Campaign is ‘Digital India for New India’. The letter can be written in English/Hindi/any vernacular Language and to be addressed to The Director, Mumbai GPO, Mumbai 400001. The categories for National Level Dhai Akhar Letter Writing Campaign are  Up to 18 years:  Inland Letter Card Category and  Envelope Category and for Above 18 years,  Inland Letter Card Category and  Envelope Category. The letter can be written on plain A-4 size paper with a word limit of not more than 1000 words under envelope category, or in an Inland Letter Card  with a word limit of not more than 500 words for ILC category. Only handwritten letters will be accepted.
The embossed envelope / envelope with required stamp affixed and Inland Letter Card  will be the permitted stationery for participating in the campaign. The final result at circle level will be declared by December 15,.2023. The proposed prize money to be given to the winners of Circle Level  and National Level Letters in each category are: Rs.25,000/is the First Prize in each Category, Rs.10,000/- for Second Prize in each Category, Rs.5,000/-for Third Prize in each Category. The National Level Prizes are Rs.50,000/ for First Prize in each Category, Rs.25,000/ for Second Prize in each Category and Rs.10,000/ for Third Prize in each Category.
The participants need to submit a certificate of proof of their age. The Envelope/Inland Letter may be superscribed as “DHAI AKHAR Letter”. For more details please log on to www.indiapost.gov.in.PIB Panaji | Gautam SK/S.Thakur/D.Rane
Follow us on Social Media:@PIBPanaji /PIBPanaji /pib_goa pibgoa[at]gmail[dot]com /PIBGoa
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Ministry of Electronics & IT
7.12 Crores E-Way Bills in March-2021; Highest in a month during last three years
A total of 180.34 Crores of e-Way Bills have been generated in last 3 years
E-way Bill system helped government to facilitate monitoring of the movement of essential commodities and medical supplies, during lockdown necessitated by COVID-19 pandemic
E-Way Bill System under GST regime has achieved a new milestone of generation of 7.12 Crores E-way Bills in the month of March 2021. This is the highest number of e-way bills generated in any month during last three years’ journey of E-Way Bill system. Similarly, on 24th March 2021, 27.86 Lakh E-Way Bills have been generated which is the highest in a day in last three years. A total of 180.34 Crores of e-Way Bills have been generated in last 3 years.
E-Way Bill system was launched by National Informatics Centre  as per the directions of the GST Council on 1st April 2018. The roll out of e-way bill system took place in phased manner from 1st April 2018 to 16th June 2018. E-Way Bill system has maintained high availability in last three years.
E-Way Bill needs to be generated for the movement of goods from one place to another, having value more than Rs 50,000/-. This has replaced the need of e-way bill of multiple states with one e-way bill. E-way Bill has helped in reducing the transport time in movement of the goods. It has facilitated removal of the static check posts at the state borders and improved the tax compliance and collection of tax.
E-way Bill system provided number of reports to the government departments to facilitate monitoring of the movement of essential commodities and medical supplies in different parts of the country, during lockdown necessitated by COVID-19 pandemic.
The system has also been enhanced regularly to improve the user experience and friendliness. Validations of the vehicle number with VAHAN system and auto calculation of the distance between source and destination pin-codes for movement of goods, are the major enhancements carried out.
A number of analytical reports like trend analysis, supply chain, risk analysis, data analysis etc. based on e-way bill system are developed for the GST officers and facilitated detection of number of tax evasions. These reports of the e-way bill system are thus helping the officers to enhance the tax collection.
Recently, the Fastag data has been integrated with the e-way bill system. On a daily average, 24 Lakh Fastag transactions from 826 toll plazas, related to commercial vehicles are exchanged between NPCI/NHA and NIC systems. These details will help the GST officers to track the movement of e-waybills using the new analytical reports.
Key Statistics from 01.04.2018 to 31.03.2021
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Number of E-Waybills generated
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180.34 Crores
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Number of Vehicles used
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2.2 Crores
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Number of Users logged in
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37.6 Lakhs
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Number of Consignors
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35 Lakhs
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Number of Consignees
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77 Lakhs
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Number of Transporters involved
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0.92 Lakhs
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Number of Verifications done by officers
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7 Crores
Comparison of 6 Months Statistics of e-Way Bills 
3-Years Statistics of e-Way Bills 
RKJ/M
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Ministry of Railways
Indian Railways creates a new world benchmark by successfully running 1st Double Stack Container Train in high rise OHE electrified sections
Thrust on innovation, speed and customisation in freight operations
From 1st April 2020 to 10th June 2020 Indian Railways has transported 178.68 million tonnes of commodities through its uninterrupted 24X7 freighters trains operations
More than 32.40 lacs wagons carried supplies to keep the supply chain functional from 24.03.2020 to 10.06.2020. Of these, more than 18 lacs wagons carried essential commodities
From 22.03.2020 to 10.06.2020 total 3,897 Parcel Trains have also been run out by Indian Railways with total 1,39,196 tonnes of consignment
Indian Railways creates a new world benchmark by commissioning 1st high rise Over Head Equipment, which has contact wire height of 7.57 metre and successfully run double stack containers in electrified territory on Western Railway. This tremendous achievement is a first of its kind in the entire world and will also boost the ambitious mission of Green India as a latest green initiative over Indian Railways. With this remarkable development, Indian Railways has proudly become the first Railway to run Double Stack Container train with high reach pantograph in high rise OHE territory, the Operations of which successfully commenced on 10th June, 2020 from Palanpur & Botad stations in Gujarat.
The thrust of such kind of initiatives is on innovation, speed and customisation in freight operations.Inspite of time that was lost under Covid Lockdown Ministry is focussing to surpass the last years freight figures.
From 1st April 2020 to 10th June 2020 Indian Railways has transported 178.68 million tonnes of commodities through its uninterrupted 24X7 freight trains operations across the country.
From 24.03.2020 to 10.06.2020 more than 32.40 lacs wagons carried supplies to keep the supply chain functional. Of these, more than 18 lacs wagons carried essential commodities like food grains, salt, sugar, milk, edible oil, onions, fruits & vegetables, petroleum products, coal, fertilizers etc. throughout the country. During the period 1st April 2020 to 10th June, 2020 Railways loaded 12.74 million tonnes of food grains as compared to 6.79 million tonnes in the same period last year.
Apart from this, from 22.03.2020 to 10.06.2020 total 3,897 Parcel Trains have also been run out by Indian Railways of which 3,790 are time-tabled trains. Total 1,39,196 tonnes of consignment have been loaded in these Parcel Trains.
Ministry of Education
Pariksha Pe Charcha 2023 witnessed huge participation from the students of State Government Schools
To Institutionalize the movement against examination stress and make it a 'Jan Andolan‘, Exam Warriors’ book published by National Book Trust  to be made available in all the school libraries
The 6th edition of Pariksha Pe Charcha programme  was held in a town-hall type interactive format on 27th January 2023, wherein, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi interacted with students, teachers and parents from all over the country and abroad. The highlight of this year’s PPC 2023 is the huge participation from the students of State Government’s board which increased from around 2 lakhs in 2022 to over 16.5 lakhs of the total 38.8 lakhs. Further, the special invitee students and teachers from all the States and UTs also got the opportunity to witness important functions like Republic Day Parade, Beating the Retreat ceremony etc and visit places of National importace.
This programme of Hon’ble Prime Minister focusses on providing support to students in overcoming examination stress while equipping teachers and parents to manage the stressful environment during exams better. In this context, Prime Minister has authored a book titled ‘Exam Warriors’ incorporating unique actionable ‘mantras’ for students, parents and teachers on ways and means to overcome examination stress. Considering the stupendous impact of the book on students across the country, the National Book Trust  India under the aegis of Ministry of Education, has published the translations of ‘Exam Warriors’ book in 11 Indian languages i.e. Asamiya, Bangla, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu.
The Ministry of Education has rolled out the National Education Policy, 2020 with several new initiatives in areas of curricula, examination reforms, student friendly classrooms, art integrated learning, toy-based pedagogy etc. Pariksha pe Charcha is also an integral part of the reforms to help students face exams more confidently in a joyful manner.
In order to transform Pariksha pe Charcha into a Jan Andolan, the Union Education Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan has requested the Chief Ministers of all the States and Administrators of UTs to make the ‘Exam Warriors’ books available in libraries of each school under Samagra Shiksha so that maximum number of students, teachers and parents get benefit from the Prime Minister’s words of wisdom and vision.
Ministry of Culture
First Shahi Snan of Kumbh held today at Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh
The first bathing festival of Kumbh was held today on Makar Sankranti at Prayag Raj, Uttar Pradesh. The First Shahi Snan or royal bathing of Akharas was also held on the occasion. Prayagraj Kumbh has attracted people from all walks of life in huge numbers.
Large number of saints and Seers, common pilgrims and tourists from across the globe have reached Prayagraj to take Holy dip on the pious occasion of Makar Sankranti at Sangam- the confluence of rivers Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati.
The First Royal Bathing or Shahi Snan of Akharas was held today. Beginning at 6.15AM, it was one of the biggest attractions to the pilgrims and tourists. Heavy security arrangements were in place for smooth conduct of royal bathing of Akharas. Central Para military forces were deployed for the security of the processions for royal bathing. Bathing Ghat for the same was well identified.
At Prayagraj, Kumbh Mela is held every 6 years and Maha Kumbh every 12 years. Earlier they were known as Ardh Kumbh and Kumbh. But this year, teh Uttar Pradesh government has announced that ArdhKumbh will be known as Kumbh and Kumbh as Maha Kumbh.
The Mela administration has set up 87 public accommodations in the Mela area at economic rates. Other agencies have also developed high quality tents with all modern amenities to the tourists in different locations. Special tent colony has also been set up in Arail area of the Mela Pilgrims and tourists can book tents as per their needs and budget online through Kumbh Mela website. Mela administration has said that all arrangements are in place and nearly one crore 20 lakhs pilgrims are expected on the occasion.
SS/ Kumbh Mela, Prayagraj
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Ministry of Science & Technology
Scientists develop indigenous nasopharyngeal swabs
In the current pandemic scenario, global supplies of nasopharyngeal  swabs are not dependable resulting in supply chain delays, escalating prices and variable quality. CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory , Pune, has developed an indigenous NP swab for collecting samples from the throat cavity of COVID-19 patients. The need for making available domestic technology for NP swabs was flagged by CSIR to NCL in mid-April.
Nasopharyngeal swab is a medical device with stringent specifications of quality, polymer grade, dimensions and sterilization. An NP swab consists of a cylindrical plastic stick with a brush-like tip of synthetic bristles/flocks. The flocking process helps align the fine bristles in a parallel orientation on the stick head, much like a tooth brush, except that this has round uniform geometry and the NP swab bristles are of micron diameter.
The NCL team of polymer science and chemical engineering scientists - which included Dr. Chandrashekhar V. Rode, Dr. Prakash P. Wadgaonkar, and Dr. Anuya A. Nisal - successfully worked out the detailed specifications of NP swab polymers and adhesives. The specifications included medical-grade materials that must be used for manufacture, the swab design and the packaging and sterilization protocols. “This is an excellent example of optimizing the polymer specifications and validating the chemical analysis of an urgently needed medical swab product in a very short time,” noted Dr. Ashwini Kumar Nangia, Director, NCL.
The NCL has transferred the process knowhow of indigenous NP swabs for sample collection to a Mumbai-based chemical company under the COVID-19 technology transfer guidelines of CSIR. After confirming the correct chemical and polymer composition of NP swabs, their diameter, alignment of bristles, and sterilization method, NCL has suggested the next regulatory pathway for approval of medical devices to the company. They will be able to produce 1 lakh NP swabs per day.